Health & Fitness May 2015

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Welcome! This is a thread about gaining and maintaining strength for our wonderful calling, Homemaking. As we care for our own health, we grow more capable and competent to care for our families, our neighbors and our communities. As we become more effective, our hopes for ourselves and those we care about get the best chance!

We've posted recently about following healthful lifestyle changes, challenges we have given ourselves, getting sensible medical care/tests/proactive steps, trying to form good habits like enough sleep or hydration, trying to break some other habits and creating healthy meals. Please join right in!

Spring is now firmly here for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. What new growth are you going to nurture in yourself this month?

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Twins: for your 60th, you could come up with "Six for Sixty" six health/fitness/wellness markers you'd like to achieve. For instance, there could be a weight goal, an exercise program goal, a water goal, a steps/day goal, a pedicure goal (or other self-care.)

RunKitty: I have 5 physio exercises for my knees and four for my back. Two of the knee ones stretch the leg tendons. When I first started them two years ago, I went from not being able to touch my toes, to being able to in just a few weeks. I can't touch my toes any more so that's a sign of going backwards as well.

One is a leaning exercise to stretch my ITB, one is to strengthen the thigh muscles and one is to strengthen the glutes. They take 26 minutes to do (not including time to lay out the mat and get down and up and reposition for the leaning exercises.)

I have two back extension exercises to do as well and one where I lie on my tummy and lift alternate arm/leg and hold. I have a modified squatting exercise as well. Those take another 25 minutes to do if I do them fully. So in theory, my physio takes an hour. But I'm supposed to do three sets a day of the knee, so if I did all my physio, everyday, I'd be spending 2 hours on physio alone, not including icing time (although sometimes I ice my knees just during the first three floor exercises to cut down on icing time of 20 minutes 3x per day.)

Obviously, I don't follow this regime but it is an example of how each exercise, while simple and short, actually adds up to a part time job, leaving little time to do any other exercise.

If I let my perfection get in the way, I end up skipping them far too often. So I sometimes just do two or three of them and skip the rest. Can't do the glute one now anyway, so that's easy to skip and the modify squat is also off my list until I get an inflatable ball. I gave away my smaller exercise ball during the move.

I've put the back exercises (from 10 years ago) back into my routines and wish list because I'm thinking the knee issues may be back issue caused.

My starting weight for the month is 189, before breakfast. Which is pretty good considering I had pizza for dinner last night. I expected the water retention to add a pound.

[Ramblinrose]

Harriet...

I received my new stubborn fat begone book by Jorge cruise yesterday.

There's not much new information in it, however there is a 12 week program which offers what to eat each day. Think I'm going to try that.

I have made several almond flour bread options which I like and will use.

One of my friends has set up a 30 day 100 mile challenge for this month which I joined. Doesn't matter how you achieve your miles just needs to be 100 by the end of the month.

The EWL ... Extreme weight loss... TV program begins the end of the month. I have met many of the contestants over the past few months and will enjoy watching their journey. Two of the gals showed up this past Tuesday night and I had the chance to chit chat with them while I was helping out on the program. They both look terrific. I have no idea how much weight they have lost but they just had their skin-removal done last month. That can't be done unless they have lost more than 42% of their body weight. All the contestants have their "finale" shot in two weeks and the program I'm going novo ex with asked if we would make a.bunch of signs for people to hold up during the shows. Now I'm not very artistically inclined but my friend is so I e been helping with the gluing of letters lol

[Nancy]

I have sore feet w/painful cracked heels so today I did my exercise on the stationary bike 10 miles today.

[Ramblinrose]

oh oh oh Nancy that sounds like that would really hurt!!!

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Well 2 of the 126 days have gone by and I'm doing well. Today is about 1/2 over and I'm still on track.

Did a 4.5 mile bike ride. I'm slow and my knees hurt more after the bike ride than before so I'm wondering about biking (it was one of the things I'm supposed to do according to the physiotherapist.) The goal is to make my quadriceps stronger to help support the knee better. Given how tired my legs are right now, it is obvious they need a lot of strengthening.

Am icing my knees as I write this.

Water intake is up. I've switched to regular tea over the past two days in order to have more energy and that worked. The apartment looks a lot better because I've been sticking to tasks longer and completing them so the piles of papers are disappearing.

[Nancy]

I walked a shorter walk today and putting in a rock path to the coop & chicken run was the rest of my exercise.

[RunKitty]

Kathryn wrote

Obviously, I don't follow this regime but it is an example of how each exercise, while simple and short, actually adds up to a part time job, leaving little time to do any other exercise.

That is a lot of time! Not much left to exercise or get all the other things you do done. Hope you find time to do enough to feel better though.
RR, that's interesting about the EWL contestants. You will ace the 30/100 challenge!
Sorry about the sore feet, Nancy. WTG on keeping up your exercise.
I'm off to go running.

[Nancy]

Did my 10 mi. On the ex. Bike this morning for my exercise.

[lucylee]

Jan. -- (first day of the month weigh-in) 165, exercised 11 days, approx. 11 miles
Feb. -- 165, exercised 5 days, approx. 5 miles
Mar. -- 165, exercised 9 days, approx. 10 miles
Apr. -- 164, exercised 9 days, approx. 13 miles

Very little improvement showing yet, but I am just trying to establish HABITS and not get caught up in numbers and results so far.

Also started taking B-12 supplement the first day of this month. Probably too soon to see any results there, of course, but I am hoping for some improved energy. Y'all know how I've talked about feeling so lazy all the time. I know a pill is not the answer to everything, but I thought it couldn't hurt to give it a try.

Wow... just cuop and some of y'all do in a DAY what I have accomplished in a MONTH. I will not be discouraged... I will be inspired...